This invention relates generally to retrieval and presentation of data from a distributed database such as the Internet. More particularly, it relates to creating hyperlinks originating from linked and unlinked elements of a web page on a real time basis.
The World Wide Web is the Internet""s multimedia information retrieval system. In the Web environment, client machines effect transactions to Web servers using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is a known application protocol providing users access to files (e.g., text, graphics, images, sound, video, etc.) using a standard page description language known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML provides basic document formatting and allows the developer to specify xe2x80x9clinksxe2x80x9d to other servers and files. The purpose of the links is to provide the user with more details or access to related information. In the Internet paradigm, a network path to a server is identified by a so-called Uniform Resource Locator (URL) having a special syntax for defining a network connection. Use of an HTML-compatible browser, e.g., Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, at a client machine involves specification of a link via the URL. In response, the client makes a request to the server, or xe2x80x9cWeb sitexe2x80x9d, identified in the link and, in return, receives in return a document or other object formatted according to HTML.
However, despite the wealth of information available to the user on the Internet, the user is nonetheless dependent on the web page writer""s choice of information and particularly on his choice of links between different web pages. It is impossible for a web designer to predict the desires of every user. It is actually doubtful that the user himself can predict his needs until confronted by information at a given moment in time. Furthermore, the desires of the user may not coincide with those of the web designer in that the web designer may only wish the user to consider certain information, e.g., his company""s products. In many web sites, the web pages are dynamically generated, making it impossible for the web designer to manually insert hyperlinks for all of the desired pages.
One means for the user to find the information which he seeks in the Internet are the many search engines currently available, e.g., AltaVista, Yahoo, Lycos, HotBot and so forth. However, use of the search engines requires manual entry of the correct search terms and possibly difficult Boolean operations. It also requires the user leaving the task, i.e. page, at hand for traversal to the search engine of his choice. Multiple operations must be accomplished, possibly opening new browser windows. In general, there is a quite a bit of manual work for the user.
From the user standpoint, it would be desirable to be able to adapt the existing web pages and link structure to fit his needs in a real time manner. From the standpoint of the web designer, rather than forcing the user to go to other web sites for their services and information, it would be preferred that the user would remain at, or at least improve the chances return to, his web site.
This invention provides one solution to these problems.
It is one object of the invention to create real time links to new or existing web pages on unlinked or unlinked elements in a web page.
It is another object of the invention to allow the user access to desired information in the Internet.
It is another object of the invention to facilitate the user""s return to a web site after traversal via a real time link.
It is another object in the information to improve the ease of performing a search for information in the Internet.
These and other objects are accomplished by real time creation of new hyperlinks in a hyperlinked database. Responsive to user input, a word or other element is selected in a first page of the hyperlinked database. The selected word is used as part of a search query to a selected search engine. The search results are received from the selected search engine and presented in a second page to a user. In one preferred embodiment, first and second pages are web pages presented by a browser and the selected search engine is an Internet search engine native to a different page than the server from which the first page originates.
As the invention can be used to create new links for elements which have preexisting hyperlinks defined, a test can be performed to determine whether the selected word is associated with a preexisting hyperlink. In the absence of a designated hyperlink, the mechanism of the present invention is initiated, i.e. sending a search query including the selected word to a selected search engine. If the element is the origin of an already designated link, a test can be performed to determine whether the selection was a normal selection event or a special selection event associated with the present invention.